Alan Frederick Plater, CBE (born 15 April 1935) is an English playwright and screenwriter.

Plater was born in Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.

His credits include The Journal of Vasilue Bogdanovic, Close the Coalhouse Door, The Beiderbecke Affair, and more recently, Peggy for You, which was nominated in 2001 for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award. He has also contributed to the BBC series Dalziel and Pascoe.

Plater served as president of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain from September 1991 until April 1995. He has received honorary degrees from the University of Hull and the University of Northumbria in Newcastle. In the New Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Drama.

Plater currently lives in London with his wife Shirley.